A young woman known among the Geelong community as a passionate activist has received an environmental award for her work.
Lauren Dillon was awarded Environment Victoria’s youth innovation award for her efforts as a community organiser within the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) Geelong and Geelong Renewables Not Gas (GRNG).
Ms Dillon said it was “really exciting” to be a recipient of this year’s Community Environment Awards, with GRNG also receiving the group innovation award for its campaign against a proposed gas terminal in Corio Bay.
“I’m so grateful that we both get to be recognised for some of our work in the environmental field,” she said.
“That campaign has been going for five years now, and I joined three years ago, and it’s really important that we have this space to reflect on that journey.
“It’s wonderful to be recognised for some of the work that I put into the community recently, but I’m really excited that I get to share it with other people who have worked alongside me.”
Ms Dillon said her role in environmental advocacy started with her “simply saying yes to one speech at a climate rally”.
“I had always been quite a nervous kid, so that was a big step for me, and then suddenly people were interested in what I had to say, and the journey found me,” she said.
“I’m constantly blown away by how many people are interested in what we’re (GRNG and ACF) doing, and kindness is important in this work, which I get to experience in many interactions.”
Environment Victoria’s 2025 Community Environment Awards recipients were announced in Melbourne on 23 October.
